So there was a lot of moving going on at the end of September in my world. We helped move one of my sons and his wife from St. Louis to Baltimore. The same weekend, a family from our small group moved from here in Normal to Las Vegas (now there’s a life change). One thing I know for sure about both of those trips is that there was a lot of praying going on. The other thing I know for sure is that things didn’t go smoothly.

Our move was a do-it-yourself all the way: not even a rental truck, though there was a rental SUV involved as well as the purchase of a few good packing boxes. The kids had been living on a shoe string for years and had saved for new and better furniture after the move, so they donated what was worth donating and threw the rest away and managed to squeeze their lives and the cat into their two cars and the SUV. This, of course, took quite a bit longer than anticipated. The really interesting part came when the transmission on one of the cars started having issues while we were still in Indiana. So we end up driving the long way to the Motel 6 in Richmond, IN (which takes cats and is very clean, if a bit Spartan).

Of course, the next day is Sunday, so the closest rental place that is open is in Dayton, OH. The kids get the car and drop off the other at the Ford dealership. By the way, that dealership was great. If you ever need one in the vicinity of Richmond, they were wonderful. We get on the road around 11 am, knowing that we have to reach Baltimore that night because my son starts his job there on Monday morning. That day was less eventful, but my daughter-in-law had never driven in mountains before, and there are certainly some crazy drivers on I-70, so we were all pretty stressed but very grateful to reach the hotel safely that night.

The story continues with an “Available Now” apartment that wouldn’t be ready until at least the next Sunday. You may remember that there’s a cat and a bunch of stuff involved, and the kids now have to drive back to Richmond to get the car and drop off the rental over the weekend.

By all accounts the other move happening was even more harrowing. Sick kids, a snowstorm, a car stuck in the snow at one point. Sounded like quite the adventure that I would want to avoid.

So here’s the question: where were all those travel mercies that were being prayed about?

There are some practical answers to that question. My kids are safely in an apartment (a different apartment than originally planned). The cat survived their absence and didn’t wreck the new place and is beginning to settle in. The transmission was still under warranty, so the only extra cost was the rental car, and the kids say they’re currently under budget for the move plus furniture. And the other family is safely in their new home as well.

But still the angst and exhaustion and pain and frustration are real.

I don’t have the all of the answers, but I think there are a few. The first is the basic flaw in believing that Christians lives will or should be smooth. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” John 16:33 (ESV). This is partly about tribulation because we are Christ followers, but it’s also just about trouble because the world is imperfect in its current broken state. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17 (ESV). A lot of the issues we faced had to do with people being imperfect. Iron sharpens iron in a way that would be painful if the objects could feel. It is sometimes painful for us. God cares about our character, not our comfort; our holiness, not our happiness. So he’s not going to prevent things that bring pain but may bring growth with it.

However, I really appreciate all of the people praying for those travel mercies. Can you imagine if the transmission had just quit on the highway instead of allowing us to limp on to a dealer? Or if any of those scary moments that felt like near accidents had turned into real accidents? Keep praying, folks. We don’t always get to know all of the good that our prayers do, but we do know that the God we pray to is good and cares for us.